Chapter 105: Meeting Zhao Yuyan Again
With the last exam paper handed in, the semester officially came to an end. That damned final exam, it was finally over.
Yu Linna was the first to finish, the first to leave. Although students could only hand in their papers half an hour before the exam ended, she submitted hers with 40 minutes left on the clock. The teacher wasn’t surprised; it was a common occurrence. She accepted the paper and let Yu Linna leave without a second thought. At this school, if you were capable enough, you received certain privileges.
Stepping out of the classroom, she exhaled a breath of warm air. Winter was truly cold. Although the weather in the south was milder than in the north, the temperature had already dropped to six degrees Celsius. In this cold winter, besides going to school and buying groceries, she simply didn’t want to step outside. It was truly too cold.
Ye Zhiyun had also returned these past few days. After all, it was the end of the semester; she had to come back for exams. Although her grades were always good, exams couldn’t be skipped. This time, the exams shouldn’t be difficult for her.
Yu Linna was thinking about what to do during this winter break. Unlike last year, when she had to struggle for survival, this year, she had food and shelter, lacking nothing. It was precisely because she lacked nothing that she didn’t know what to do during this winter break. Although she wanted to work part-time, Ye Zhiyun wouldn’t allow it.
So, what should she do during this winter break?
Yu Linna fell into deep thought.
She walked alone on campus, completely clueless about what to do. Walking and walking, she reached the school gate. She clearly remembered Ye Zhiyun once coming to her school gate and taking pictures of Fang Jianing. But back then, Ye Zhiyun refused to take pictures of Yu Linna, her attitude quite unfriendly.
But who would have thought that later on, the person Ye Zhiyun took the most individual photos of was her, Yu Linna?
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Yu Linna noticed a graceful figure standing at the school gate. The weather was cold. The girl was bundled up in a padded jacket and pants, a scarf wrapped around her neck, her long hair braided and draped over her right shoulder. Hands in her pockets, she seemed to be waiting for someone.
“Miss Zhao.”
“Oh, you’re here, Linna. Finished your exams?”
“Just finished. How did you know I was at this school?”
“Just asked around and found out.”
Although she said that, anyone with a little bit of intelligence knew it couldn’t be just “asking around.” For Zhao Yuyan to know which school she was at, besides asking Chen Xi, she really couldn’t think of who else to ask.
“Looking for me for something?”
“I wanted to talk to you, regarding those matters Sister Chen approached you about before. I wanted to chat with you alone again. Is it convenient?”
Yu Linna glanced back at the teaching building. Everyone was still taking exams at this time. It was definitely too early for Fang Jianing to come out. With her personality, she would at least only leave the classroom two minutes before the exam ended. Waiting for her to come out wasn’t realistic anymore.
“Okay, I’ll go with you. I’m heading back anyway.”
Having agreed, Yu Linna walked on the road with Zhao Yuyan. The two figures gradually disappeared amidst the cold wind and dust.
Zhao Yuyan glanced at the petite girl beside her. Looking at her up close, her hair was truly beautiful, her face making one want to pinch her cheeks. Someone as pretty as her must have many admirers. I wonder if she has a boyfriend. If not, that would be great.
“Linna, Sister Chen mentioned it to you before. Are you really not considering it?”
She exhaled a puff of warm air, gazed intently at her face, and asked seriously.
“No way. I said I won’t do it, so I won’t do it.”
Yu Linna’s reply was also very straightforward: if she said she wasn’t doing it, she wasn’t doing it. With her current situation, why would she become a novelist? It wasn’t necessary at all. She had food and shelter; she no longer had to worry about her livelihood. Why bother doing unnecessary things?
Besides, wasn’t the lesson from Orange River deep enough? Was it really necessary to get involved in work related to the entertainment industry again? She didn’t want to experience that kind of pain again.
“Many people want to climb higher, want to be superior. If an opportunity is presented, they would all try to grab it, not proactively give it up like you.”
“If it were the past me, I might choose to hold on, but the current me, I wouldn’t do that anymore.”
She would never do this kind of thing again, absolutely not.
Her life had taken a completely different turn ever since the regional competition for the National Singing Competition. From that time on, she embarked on an entirely different path. She had always led a tough life these past few years, working to make a living. It wasn’t until Nangong Ying pulled her into the entertainment industry that she started a different life. But it was precisely Nangong Ying who led her into an inescapable hell, nearly causing her to lose her innocence.
After that, she left the entertainment industry, withdrew from that world, never wanting to go back. Having been hurt, she didn’t want to be hurt again. That kind of pain, she didn’t want to experience it a second time.
“Before I became an author, before becoming a novelist, I also thought I would live a peaceful life.”
Zhao Yuyan looked at the pedestrians and buildings along the road and quietly recounted her own experiences. Speaking of which, she also took an unexpected path. Before becoming a novelist, she had no worries about food or clothing; she could have lived a peaceful life without having to think about anything. But sometimes fate is quite strange. Because she wrote something for fun once, trying to submit it, she didn’t expect to actually win.
After that, she wrote several more manuscripts, trying to write novels. Last year, she submitted her completed novel to Wenqing Publishing Group and unexpectedly won first place in the Newcomer Grand Prize. And that award-winning novel was also her currently only serialized novel, “The Rich Man’s Game.”
And before serializing “The Rich Man’s Game,” she published the short story, “You in Time and Space.” That short story completely launched her fame.
And “The Rich Man’s Game” told the story of a formerly wealthy young lady, whose family fell into ruin due to bankruptcy, becoming destitute, wandering the streets. At this time, she took a liking to the male protagonist, who belonged to a rival family. So she took a fake name and deliberately approached him, intending to seek revenge. But unexpectedly, the male protagonist, being a fuerdai (rich second generation), enjoyed playing with girls. Seeing the impoverished female protagonist offer herself, he wanted to deceive her feelings and her body. Thus began a game of calculation between the once-rich and the currently rich.
Although the synopsis sounded quite dark and suspenseful, it was actually a light-hearted daily life story with comedic elements. The male and female leads were both masters of expressions, calculating against each other while hiding their true identities. Every time they perfectly planned everything, someone would always interrupt, disrupting their game, making them both turn into walking emoji.
This novel was slated for manga adaptation. When the illustrations for the manga adaptation were released, the male and female leads appeared as emoji, a very faithful representation.
Zhao Yuyan had become famous in the industry, but all this was earned through her own hard work. She never felt she got there simply because she was lucky.
“But writing novels changed my life, changed my existence. I never thought my stories could be read by so many people, could bring so many people smiles. I’m not saying this hoping to move you, just, I want to tell you how happy I am doing this job.”
Zhao Yuyan really liked her current job. She didn’t have to worry about family matters, nor did she have to think about future career prospects. Now she could support herself with her own money, tell her parents out loud that she could be independent, and no one could interfere with her life.
All of this was given to her by this profession.
“…”
Yu Linna was silent, momentarily unsure what to say.
It wasn’t that she never had dreams in the past, but precisely because she had dreams, she got hurt so badly, fell so painfully. She thought that as long as she could become a star, as long as she became famous, she could find her family in this world. But after discovering that everything was a lie, she lost hope, giving up all expectations.
She no longer thought of looking for her relatives.
It was just…
Sometimes she wondered, if she had persisted with her dreams, what level could she have reached?
Fame or ruin? She didn’t know either.
“Linna, I’ll ask you one more time. Are you interested in this field? Are you interested in participating in this year’s Newcomer Grand Prize?”
“…Sorry, not interested.”
“…Okay, I understand.”
Zhao Yuyan smiled wryly.
This girl, whom even Sister Chen wanted to recruit, really wasn’t easily swayed. If she was unwilling, no one could force her. How much talent this girl possessed was unclear, but that day at home, seeing the ideas she came up with, the stories she created on the spot, her talent was somewhat visible.
After they parted ways, Zhao Yuyan sighed. Sure enough, it’s no use. Wanting this girl to enter this profession, was it still too much to ask? If the girl herself had no such desire, no one could force her.
Hands in her pockets, Zhao Yuyan planned to just go back like this. Suddenly, a hand patted her shoulder. She turned around and found a short-haired girl standing behind her.
“Yuyan, having a secret rendezvous with whom?”
“…What secret rendezvous? That was my junior. Understand? Luo Nan, why are you hiding behind me and scaring me?”
“I want to. What about it?”
Luo Nan smiled, put an arm around her shoulders, and led her body back.
“Luo Nan, where are you taking me?”
“I don’t think I told you. I moved too, moved to this city. How about it? Want to come visit?”
“Aren’t you being a bit too hasty? Must it be now? Can’t we do it another day?”
“Of course it has to be today. Because today I even installed the heating and bought a sofa.”
“I always feel like you’re scheming something…”
Zhao Yuyan thought. This younger sister she had played with since childhood seemed to want to sell her off. But since they’ve known each other for so long, it should be fine. After all, they’re both girls; nothing should happen.
Zhao Yuyan thought so.
Leave a Reply